” With millions of people still supporting the use of incandescent bulbs, Birnbaum found a loophole in the Energy Independence and Security Act. The ban applies to general service incandescent light bulbs but not rough service incandescents.

While frequently used in automobiles, subway systems and other applications that require a heavy-duty, vibration-resistant bulb, rough service bulbs can still be used in a general application, according to Birnbaum.

The website Bulbs.com breaks it down this way: “Rough service lamps function identically to regular incandescent lamps, but generally have additional wire within the glass enclosure that serves to protect and support the filament.” [emphasis added]

Birnbaum’s company was one of two awarded a license to produce these bulbs in the country. After designing a bulb to meet the new specifications for rough service bulbs established in the law, the American-made Newcandescent was born.”

” These changes in the law are going to demand that we change the way we think about lightbulbs. We’re accustomed to a lightbulb being a minor expense, but the upfront cost of an energy-efficient one is much higher. Some might cost $30 or more per bulb.

CFLs represent the best value for consumers, as they use one-fourth the power of a comparable incandescent lightbulb and last up to 10 times longer. As a result, each CFL will save the consumer at least $30 in the form of lower electricity costs over the life of the bulb. ”

The answer lies in the type of bulb that broke—a compact fluorescent lightbulb—and what was inside that bulb. Compact fluorescents, like their tubular fluorescent precursors, contain a small amount of mercury—typically around five milligrams. Mercury is essential to a fluorescent bulb’s ability to emit light; no other element has proved as efficient.

As effective as it is at enabling white light, however, mercury—sometimes called quicksilver—is also highly toxic. It is especially harmful to the brains of both fetuses and children. That’s why officials have curtailed or banned its use in applications from thermometers to automotive and thermostat switches. ”